Apparatus for impregnating liquids with gases.



J. P. & R. W. WITTEMANN. APPARATUS FOR IMPREGNATING LIQUIDS vWITH GASES.

APPLICATION PILE-D JULY 13, 1911.

Patented Feb. 9, 1915.

' WW Inventors` HE NDRRIS PETERS co., PHUTo-LJTHO.. WASHINGTON. D. t:4

JACOB F. WITTEMANN, 0F LAKEWOOD, NEW JERSEY, AND RUDOLPH W. WITTEMANN, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK, ASSIGNORS TO AMARANTI-I MACHINERY AND SUPPLY WORKS, INC., OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

APPARATUS FOR IMPREGNATING LIQUIDS WITH GASES.

Application filed .Tuly 13, 1911.

To all whom it may concern.'

Be it known that we, JACOB F. WITTE- MANN and RUDOLPH W. WITTEMANN, citizens of the United States, and residents of Lakewood, Ocean county, State of New J ersev. and Brooklyn, county of Kings, State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Apparatus for Impregnating Liquids with Gases, of which the following is a specication.

This invention relates to improvements 1n apparatusfor impregnating or saturating liquids with gases such as are used for the aeration, carbonation and similar treatments of liquids, and for treating beverages with a gaseous medium in a continuous automatically controlled operation. As such apparatus are commonly used for charging, saturating or impregnating liquids with carbonic acid gas, we will use the term carbonator as designating such apparatus in this specification.

The object of our invention is to provide a new and improved carbonator of' very simple construction, composed of few moving parts and with all the movable operating devices visible and readily accessible for cleansing and examining, and which carbonator is highly effective, rapid and reliable in operation.

In the accompanying drawing a vertical sectional View through one embodiment of our improved carbonator is shown, parts being in side elevation.

The carbonator, as shown, is composed of a tubular shell 1, with a dished bottom,

-the shell being open at the top and closed by suitable cover. To the sides of the apparatus lugs 2 are secured, preferably three in number, and to said lugs, legs or supports 3 are attached, the lower ends of which are held adjustable in sockets t terminating in ball heads 5 which are clamped in separable floor sockets G so as to permit of readily adjusting the shell so that its central axis will be exactly vertical. rlhe shell is provided with a detachable cover 9 resting upon an elastic gasket 10 which in turn rests in a groove in the upper surface of an angle ring l1 secured to the top of the shell on the outside and the cover is held in place on the shell by a series of bolts 12 hinged to the angle ring 11 and adapted to enter notches 13 in the rim of the cover, each Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented nel). e, 1915.

Serial N o. 638,271.

hinged bolt being provided with a winged nut 11 which when drawn up tight press the cover irmly upon the gasket 10. The cover is provided with a central upwardly extending neck 15 in the upper end of which a .rabbet is formed for receiving an elastic gasket 16 upon -which the lower edge ot a cylindrical sight-glass 17 rests, upon the upper edge of which glass rests a similar gasket 18 in a rabbet formed in the cover 19 for the sight-glass, which cover is held clamped in place by bolts 20, hinged to the neck 15, and entering notches 21 in the edge of the cover 19, winged nuts 22 being screwed on the upper ends of said bolts 20. A neck 23 projects upward from the cover concentric with and within the neck 15, said internal neck 23 projecting some distance above the edge of the external neck 15. upper part of the internal neck 23 is threaded on the outside and on this part is screwed a cap 24, an elastic gasket 25 being interposed between the underside of the cap 24- and the upper edge of the neck 23 to form an absolutely tight joint. rlhe gas supply tube 26 is made integral with a cap 24 and its upper en'd projects through a stuflingbox 7 on the cover 19 of the sight-glass 17 and the lower end 'of said tube 26 projects beneath the cap and centrally into the internal neckv 23 in the form ofl a nozzle 27. The internal neck 23 is provided with a series of openings 28 preferably rectangular. A cylindrical valve 29 open at the top and bottom is ground into the internal neck 23 so as to fit snugly, but capable of being moved up and down and by means of a connecting rod 30 a iloat 31 is suspended from said valve 29 and is moved up and down as the level of the liquid rises or falls in the shell 1. The drawings show this valve in such position as to completely close the openings 2S. This, however, is only an extreme position and is only given for the purpose of showing the highest possible position of the valve. F rom the underside of the cover a series of liquid spreading plates 32, 33 and 31 are suspended by means of bolts 36 surrounded by distancing ferrules 37,' located between the several plates. The upper plate 32 is inclined downward and outward from center and is centrally open for the passage of the rod 30 from which the float is suspended. The next lower plate 33 is inclined The upward and outward from center and is provided on its rim with an upwardly extending flange 38 which extends some distance above the rim of the uppermost plate 32 and this plate 33 is provided at its center with a comparatively large opening 39 through which the liquid can flow upon the plate 34 which like the uppermost plate 32 is inclined downwardly and outwardly and has a central neck 40 projecting up through the opening 39 and affording passage for the suspension rod 30. All these plates have their upper surface corrugated in some suitable manner so as to impede a too rapid flow of the liquid and to cause the distribution into a thin lilm.

As the upper plate 32 is inclined downward and outward the liquid flows over its corrugations and flows from the rim of this uppermost plate to the rim part of the second plate 33 which is inclined downward and inward and through the central opening 39 of the latter the liquid flows on the lowest plate 34 which is again inclined downward and outward, its rimybeing close to the wall of the shell on to and down which the liquid flows. rlhe liquid is thus caused to travel in a thin layer over a large area within the shell l before it reaches the level of the liquid in the shell.

The liquid supply pipe 41 communicates with the external central neck 15 of the cover and this inlet pipe is connected by a coupling 42 with the casing 43 of a valve 44 and this casing also has a neck 45 for attaching the liquid supply hose and a vent 46. lt is also provided with a hollow cross piece 47 and with a sight-glass 48- and with a waste valve 49. At the bottom the shell has an outlet neck 50 connected by a suitable coupling 51 with an outlet pipe 52 having an outlet valve 53 and a waste valve 54. rllhe beer which is drawn out of the shell or receptacle l passes out through the valve 53 to the storage vessels when said valve is open. V7 hen this valve is closed the waste beer, washing water or other liquid contained in the vessel can be drawn ofi" through the waste stop valve 54 which is then opened but ordinarily remains closed. The upper end of the gas pipe 26 previously described is connected by a coupling 55 to the gas pipe 56, the opposite end or" which is connected by a coupling 57 with a neck 58 on the cover. The gas supply pipe 59 is connected with the gas pipe 56 and is provided with a suitable cock or shut-oiiE valve 60 by means of which the supply of gas can be regulated or shut 01T. The cover 19 of the sight-glass 17 is provided with a vent 61 and the gas pipe 56 is provided with a vent 62.

In operating the apparatus described for the purpose of carbonating, the valves 44 .and 60 are closed andthe valves 61 and 62 are opened and through one of the bottom valves 53 or 54 the apparatus is filled to the top with clear water so as to expel all the air contained in the apparatus through the vents 61 and 62. rlFhese vents are then closed and through the pipe 56 gas under pressure is admitted by opening the valve 60, from the pipe 59, and this gas enters at a pressure of about one third of that at which impregnation is to take place and this gas forces the water through the waste valve 54 which is closed as soon as all the water has been displaced. The gas is only admitted at one-third of the pressure at the beginning of the operation to prevent over impregnation of the beer and when the operation has been fully started it is then admitted at full pressure. The gas inlet cock 60 is then closed and the liquid to be irnpregnated is then turned on to inlet 45, the shut-oil valve 44 being closed and the vent 46 and waste valve 49 remaining open until all water, which may have remained in the supply conduit, has passed ott, or until the agitation oi. the liquid, visible through the sight-glass 48 in the cross piece 47, indicating the presence of air has ceased, this air being vented 0H' through the vent 46. l/Vhen solid liquid, that is liquid containing no air, shows through the sight-glass 43, the valves 46 and 49 are closed the valve 44 is opened to permit the liquid to pass to the space between the necks 15 and 23 in the cover and into the chamber 17 and from the saine through the ports 28 into the neck and from the lower one thereof to the inner surface of the wall of the shell running and the float is about to throttle the inward flow of the liquid. rlhe vent 61 is then closed, the gas supply cock 60 is opened to such extent as to regulate the gas supply in such a manner as to maintain the desired impregnating gas pressure within the carbonator during the flow of liquid through the same.

The outlet valve 53 having been opened to permit the outflow of the impregnated liquid, the liquid supply controlling valve rlhe liquid rises until the float 29 automatically adjusts itself according to the level of the liquid in the carbonator, to throttle, by means of the action upon it by the float, the flow of the liquid in proportion to the outflow. The connection between the valve and the float is so adjusted that the upward movement of the valve reduces the eifective area of the valve ports whenever the liquid level rises above the normal point at which the liquid supply passing through said valve 29 will equal the outflow through the outlet 53 and vice versa the downward movement of the control valve 29 by the float, will increase the elfective area of the inlet ports until the inflow action equals the outflow from the carbonator. Through the automatic regulation of the inflow of liquid by the liquid level within the apparatus while the gas supply is maintained uniform, and the reliable uniform impregnation of the liquid f with the gas is secured. The spreading plates, over the corrugated surface of which the liquid is causedto flow constantly break or interrupt or disrupt the thin lm of liquid passing over these plates, the area of which is very great compared with the area of the inlet opening, causing the liquid to be exposed to the gas for .a controllable length of time as the number and size of these plates may readily be varied to suit the varying conditions and requirements. In addition to the intimate and extended contact between the liquid and the gas in the manner described the increase of absorption of gas in secured by the fact that the beer is agitated in the presence of gas by the suction action resulting from the inflow of liquid through the valve ports 28 into the liquid controlling valve and the introduction of a column of gas into this entering, agitated beer through the nozzle 27 extending into the inner neck 23. If for any reason whatever the supply of gas through the nozzle 27 is decreased and not sufficient, gas can enter to properly impregnate the liquid in the carbonator through the neck 58. The large sight-glass 17 permits of carefully observing the operation of the inlet controlling valve and the sightglass 62 in the shell permits of observing the operation of the float. Likewise the sight-glass 17 and the sight-glass 48 permit of careful observation of the liquid at the vents Llf3 and 61.

Having described our invention what we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is'- 1. The combination with a carbonating vessel, of an inlet neck, a liquid supply conduit communicating with said neck, a valve for controlling the passage of liquid through said neck, means for automatically operating this valve, a closed transparent chamber surrounding the neck and Valve and communicating with the liquid supply conduit, and a gas supply pipe extending through said chamber to the neck, substantially as set forth.

.2. The combination with a carbonating vessel', of an inlet neck,a valve controlling the passage of liquid through said neck, a liquid supply conduit leading to said neck and surrounding the same, and a closed transparent chamber surrounding the neck and valve and communicating with the liquid supply conduit, and a venting device on said surrounding chamber, substantially as set forth.

Signed at New York city, in the county of New York and State of New York this 3rd day of July A. D. 1911.

JACOB F. VITTEMANN. RUDOLPH l/V. WITTEMANN.

Witnesses:

HERMANN COLBERG, ANNA E. SCHULER.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for live cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents Washington, D. C. 

